Cane-loader.



No. 800,549. PATBNTBD SEPT. 26, 1905.

A.J.BUQUET. w CANE LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1905.

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A. J. BUQUET.

CANE LOADER:

APPLIGATIOH FILED APR? 1905.

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CANE-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 26, 1905.

Application filed April 7, 1905. Serial No. 254,383.

T u all Iii/1107771 it ntcty concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT J. BUQUET, a citizen of the United States,residing at Gray, in the parish of Terrebonne and State of Louisiana,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cane- Loaders; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in loading apparatus, and is moreparticularly designed for use in the field, comprising a suitablevehicle or cart provided with cooperating apparatus for hoisting anddepositing stalks or the like, but more particularly out cane, from theheap-row to the cane-carts.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a means for mountinga plurality of grabs or grapples in such manner that one of saidgrapples will be in operative position to unload to a cart on one sideof the heap-row while the other grapple is in operative position to pickup the cane from the heap-row prior to unloading the same to anothercart on the opposite side of the loader, making the apparatusdouble-acting in efiect.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the followingspecification, describing an embodiment of the invention, and theparticular points of novelty will be more distinctly pointed out in theclaims.

In order that the said invention will be more clearly understood,reference is had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating the same, inwhich like characters designate corresponding parts in the severalviews, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodyingthe loading apparatus, showing one of the grapples over the heap-row andthe other swung around and extending in a lateral direction ready todischarge the bunch of cane to the cart on that side of the machine.Fig. 2 is a plan view. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of thehorizontally swinging Y- shaped member, from which is suspended theforward end of the grapple-booms. Fig. 4: is a detail fragmentaryperspective of the locking and tripping means for the grapple, and Fig.5 is a detail perspective of a braking mechanism herein referred to.

In carrying out the invention any suitablypropelled vehicle may beemployed; but for the convenience of description there has beenillustrated a four-wheeled vehicle adapted to be drawn by mules,customarily used in the cane-fields.

At the forward end of the platform 1 is a fixed upright or mast 2,having a reduced portion 3, forming a shoulder or seat for thepivotally-mounted support 4:, which support has a pair of arms 5disposed at right angles to each other and slotted at 6 to receive andpivotally support by a pin 7 the inner end of the grapple-booms8,carrying at their outer ends the grapples or grabs 9 of any suitableconstruction.

1O designates the long arm of a horizontall y-swinging member,preferably Y-shaped, as shown, rotatably mounted at the upper end of theupright support or mast 2, the short arms 10 of which at their outerends are suitably provided with blocks or pulleys 11 12 and the long armof which at its outer end is provided with a roller 13, adapted toengage the underneath face of a curved track or plate 14:, supported onthe platform 1 by uprights or standards 15. This circular track at itsouter end is provided with suitable suspended blocks or pulleys 16 17,as is also the upper end of the mast 2 with blocks or pulleys 18 and 19.

20, 21, 22, and 23 designate blocks or pulleys swiveled to the platform1 at opposite sides thereof to the rear of operating-drums 2A 25,provided with suitable guiding-flanges to form a spool for two separatecoils of cable.

Any suitable form of grapple may be employed; but for the purposeofillustration I have shown one of the grapple-hooks 9 ,provided with anextension 9, cooperating with a spring-latch 9 secured at one end to thegrapple-boom and at its other end bent inwardly, passing freely throughsaid boom and connected to one arm of a bell-crank lever 9, operated bya tripping-cable 9, led in any convenient way to a position near theoperator.

26 designates braking devices pivotally mounted on inclining blocks 27,carried by the platform 1, and these braking devices for the purpose ofillustration may be in the form and operative as bell-crank levershaving the laterally-projecting fingers 28 extending transversely abovethe inclined blocks 27. The brakes may be operated by the rods 29 andfoot-operated cranks 30 in proximity to the operator; but other suitablemechanism might be readily employed.

In operation the cable a passes around the journaled drum 24, thencebeneath the braking-arm 28, thence reeving through the blocks 22, 18,and 11 and is secured at its other end to one of the grapple-booms.Similarly the cable passes around the drum 25, beneath the brake-arm 28,reeving through the pulleys 23 19 12 and is secured at its other end tothe outer end of the other grapple-boom. One end of the cable a issecured to the drum 25, thence reeves through the pulleys 21 and 16, andis secured at its other end to the rear end of the Y member 10.Similarly the cable (1 is secured to the drum 24, thence reeves throughthe pulleys 20 and 17,and is secured at its other end to the Y member10. Thusit will be seen that the parts being in the position shown inFig. 2, any suitable operating power being applied to the cable Z), thegrapple-boom over the heap-row will start to rise. At the same time thecable cwill start to wind around the drum 25 and swing the Y memberlaterally to the left, swinging the load of cane to the cart on theopposite side of the vehicle. At the same time the cable (Z will unwindfrom the drum 24, allowing the Y member to be freely operated andnormally tending to allow the opposite grapple-boom to lower as the Ymember is swung around. This is prevented, however, by operating thebraking mechanism, which will press the arm 28 down on the cable A,binding it to the inclined block, so that that cable will slip aroundthe drum. hen the grapple has reached its position over the heaprow, thebrake may be released and the grapple-boom lowered, and while thatgrapple is picking up a new load the other one may be tripped and itscontents discharged into the cane-cart.

It is obvious that by applying power to the cable (I, the same operationis performed in the reverse direction.

The roller 13 on the arm 10 of the Y member permits of a roller-bearingto counterbalance the weight on the diverging arms 10 and taking thestrain off the upright or mast.

It is obvious that it will be desirable to employ suitable stay-rods forthe mast, although the same are not shown for the purpose of clearnessof illustration. It is also obvious that many changes might be made inthe construction, and it is not intended to limit the invention to theprecise details as illustrated and described.

I'Vhat I claim is 1. In loading apparatus, the combination with avehicle, of an upright carried thereby, a plurality of swinging boomspivotally supported on said upright, grapples carried by said booms, andmeans for elevating one of said booms and simultaneously swinging saidbooms laterally of the vehicle.

2. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a support rotatably mounted on said upright, a pair ofbooms pivotally mounted at right an.- gles to each other on saidsupport, grapples carried by said booms, and meansfor alternatelyelevating said booms and simultaneously rotating said support laterallyot' the vehicle.

3. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a vertically-swinging boom rotatably supported on saidupright, a grapple carried by said boom, a horizontally-swinging armrotatably supported on said upright, a curved guide-plate extendinglaterally of said vehicle adjacent said horizontallyswinging arm, aroller carried by said horizontal swinging arm engaging the under faceof said guide-plate, flexible means suspending the outer end of saidboom from said horizontally-swinging arm, means for operating saidflexible connection for elevating said boom, and means for operatingsaid boom and horizontally-swinging arm laterally of the vehicle.

t. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an upright,a pair of vertically-swinging booms rotatably supported on said upright,grapples carried by said booms, a horizontally-swinging member, havingdiverging arms, rotatably supported on said upright, flexible elevatingmeans operatively connecting said diverging arms with saidvertically-swinging booms, and means for simultaneously rotating saidhorizontally swinging member and said booms laterally of the vehiclc.

5. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a pair of vertically-swinging booms rotatably supportedon said upright, grapples carried by said booms, a Y-SllEtPQ-Cl memberrotatably supported on said upright, flexible elevating meansoperatively connecting the short arms of said Y-shaped member with saidbooms, and guiding means engaging the long arm of said if-shaped member,means for alternately elevating said booms and simultaneously operatingsaid booms and Y-shaped member laterally of the vehicle.

6. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a pair of vertically-swinging booms rotatably supportedon said upright, grapples carried by said booms, a horiZontally-swingingmember,

having diverging arms, rotatably mounted on said upright, rotary meansjournaled on said vehicle, and flexible means so cooperating With saidrotary means, said vertically swinging booms and saidhorizontally-swinging member as to alternately elevate saidverticallyswinging booms and operate said booms andhoriZontally-swinging member laterally of the vehicle.

7. In loading apparatus, the combination with a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a pair of vertically-swinging booms, rotatablysupported on said upright, grapples carried by said booms, a Y-shapedmember rotatably supported on said upright, a curved guide adjacent thelong arm of said f-shaped member IIS and engaged thereby, pulleyscarried at the ends of said curved guide, a pair of operating-drumsjournaled on said vehicle, flexible connections reeving through saidpulleys and connecting said drums With the long arm of said Y member,and flexible elevating means operatively suspending said booms from theshort arms of said Y member and connected to said drums.

8. In loading apparatus, the combination With a vehicle, of an uprightcarried thereby, a pair of vertically-swinging booms, rotatablysupported on said upright, grapples carried by said booms, a Y-shapedmember rotatably supported on said upright, a curved guide adjacent thelong arm of said Y member and en-

